Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - BENGALS SQUAD SHOW: BURROW, CHASE, HIGGINS, and offense look to regain EXPLOSIVENESS and FLY in 2026

Episode Date: May 5, 2026

Look, the Cincinnati Bengals' offense is going to be really good in 2026. It could be the best offense in team history. But for that to happen, there's one thing this offense must be that made them so successful initially in 2021: creating explosive plays down the field.  Alex Frank, Jake Liscow, Coach Art Valero, and FOX19's Gabi Sorrentino discuss how the Bengals offense can take the top off opposing defenses and be the most high-flying offense in the NFL.  It's not just about Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins in the passing game. Chase Brown may hold the key to this offense being what fans hope it can be in 2026.  The NFL Schedule is going to be released this month, and the Bengals are one of the most interesting teams as far as how many prime time and national TV games they will get. Does the trade for Dexter Lawrence change the schedule makers' process in assembling the schedule and how many times the Bengals will be in prime time and on national television?    Everydayer Club  If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everyday...    Find and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms:  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0l...  Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...  Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-...    Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!  Square If you’re starting a business, or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL.  FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.  Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.  Rugiet Get 15% off your treatment → https://rugiet.com/lockedonnhl Rugiet. Performance medicine for men.  Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.  FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Alex Frank. I flew with pigs over the weekend and ran a half marathon. And while doing so, I thought to myself, could this Spengel's offense be the most high-flying offense in team history, Jake Lisco? Well, I think the first goal is to be the best offense in the Joe Burrow era. And then we can talk about 1988. Coach, an offense's best friend, being able to run the football. Hey, everybody wants to stop it. And playoff teams do. And playoff teams do it themselves. else. So good luck. Today, it's the Bengals Squad. Everything Cincinnati Bengals every week. Breaking down all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Queen City, the way only the Lockdown Podcast Network can. From the jungle to the playoffs, the Bengals Squad Show starts now.

Happy Cinco de Mayo. It is Tuesday, May 5th, as we welcome you to the Bengals Squad Show. We are live on Lockdown Bengals and the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one. sports podcast, number in America and the world, your team every day with Jake Liscoe and coach Art Valero. I'm Alex Frank. And today we have the pleasure of being joined, not just by a woman that I refer to as the Sue Bird of Cincinnati sports media, but also the woman behind the lens of one of the greatest sports photographs in recent history, which is pinned on her Twitter profile at

G. Sorrentino TV. She was at the Kentucky Derby this weekend. She got the winning shot at the run for the roses, a pair of brothers. She joins us today. Gabby Sorentino, ladies and gentlemen, a Fox 19. We'll get some Bengals talk here in just a moment, but I got to give Gabby her roses, no pun intended. That shot genuinely is, I would have thought any of the greatest sports photographers in history, which maybe you are now, took that shot. Take us through the moment when you capture that shot and the booming popularity that your photo has gotten over the last few. days. Yeah, my phone hasn't stopped ringing since Saturday night, so it's been a little crazy. I'm not used to the whole viral thing. But yeah, I went to the Kentucky Derby with Fox 19 to cover it, and we get infield access during the race. So I was in the infield. There were a million cameras by the finish line, so I went a few feet away and put my Fox 19 jacket down, sat on the ground in my nice Kentucky Derby

dress and just had my phone ready. And I knew that because I went last, year that, you know, usually the last, you know, a couple feet they're celebrating. The jockeys are having their moment. So I have my camera ready. I was kind of shooting up against the rail and captured Jose Ortiz winning right next to his brother, Irad Ortiz, and Iran reached out to Jose and grabbed his arm while they're galloping full speed on these horses, which is just crazy to think about. And I took a video on my iPhone. And in the moment, I didn't really know what I had. So I, you know, celebrating whatever amazing Kentucky Derby, go back to the media center and kind of slow the video down. And I see, you know, the brothers touching arms.

I was like, oh, my gosh, this is an amazing shot. I need to share this. And I didn't think anyone else really had my angle because of where I was sitting. And a lot of people are kind of further down and I was away from the finish line. So slow down the shot, took a screenshot from my phone and it was like, this picture is great. The original picture is great. but I decided that I wanted to put a cool filter on it to give it like a little film, 60s vibe, I guess you could say, and just posted it on my social media,

and it has absolutely blown up. So it's been crazy. You have been featured all over national shows. Pat McAfee mentioned you yesterday. So Jay, Coach, I don't know how much you two are into horse racing. Gabby's a former equestrian athlete. But just appreciating great sports photography. That's what this is about.

Yeah, no, it was amazing. And I don't claim to be a professional photographer. I'm not one, but I think it was more of the perfect place, perfect time. I got this frame and I wanted to share it with the world. So I think that people have really enjoyed it. And I know that Jose has posted it. I'm sure that they're going to be printing it out in their homes for their families. So I hope it's a moment that the brothers can have forever that I got to capture.

It's just like listen, Ali. Wow. Okay, now you know how great it is. Coach, you're mentioning that. I mean, Gabby, you're listening. I mean, they have that moment forever. You have that moment forever. And we are so happy that you are doing great work in Cincinnati

and down in Louisville at the Kentucky Derby. I know this is a Bengals show, but I had to give you your roses for that incredible shot. And shifting the conversation back. to the Bengals. We got a lot to get to today because as I mentioned in the open, I was running the flying pig, the half marathon this past weekend. That was treacherous in of itself. But as I'm doing so, I thought to myself, the Bengals offense this year be the most high flying offense in team history. So I'm going to ask all three of you, do they have the personnel

to be that prolific of an offense in 2026? Well, I think they do. I think they do have. have personnel. Now it's a matter of them all tying together, getting that chemistry, which they have left the season with. So now it's just a matter of getting back in timing, getting those things going. And like I mentioned at the front of the show, being able to establish the run and be good at running the football because that will certainly open up so many more things. You know, if you're going to play a bank, Bengals football team, a Bengals' offense, your idea is react to the run, but play the pass. And I think that with a solid running game, I think that what that will do is it will open up

so many more doors for arguably the best quarterback in football at this point. Now it's just a matter of doing it. The Bengals have to find a way to punish teams that want to keep a cap on their offense, right? And that's what Art is talking about. if you can threaten home run, run. And this was the idea behind drafting Jeremiah Love that James Rapine loved to talk about on lockdown Bengals that I'm sure people got sick of hearing about. But the idea of that sort of talent injection to the Bengals backfield is there's a home run threat

every time we hand the ball off. And now you have to decide, are we going to go light in the box? Are we going to keep our safeties back and keep a ceiling over to Mar Chase and T. Higgins back there? And so the challenge for the Bengals, I think, is largely finding ways to be explosive and be consistent because while we've really appreciated this offense, and we've talked about this offense is one of the best in the league during the Joe Burrow era, when you look at the past 25 years or you look at Bengals history, they haven't really approached the top of either of those categories in the Joe Burrow era quite yet. They've been in some ways comparable,

especially in short sequences or series within a season. but not over the course of an entire season. So there are some consistency, demons, or hurdles for this team to get past to really reach the heights of best offense in Bengals history. And explosive plays are part of that. And just consistency will be part of that too. I like what Jake said at the top of the show about Joe Burrow and maybe being the best offense in the Joe Burrow era because they have the pieces to be that. But I also think that it comes down to health on this team because that was something. thing that was so big last season.

We could have seen so much more from this offensive. Joe Burrow hadn't gotten hurt when he did. And so I think that the explosiveness, I think it's going to continue because you have Jamar and T, right? I think that that's natural. I think that Chase Brown is just going to continue to go up and have a great year. But I do think that it starts with health. And obviously Joe Burrow being healthy is such a big part leading to this team's success.

I went back this morning and similar to what Jake you and Gabby are saying. And I went through all the great Bengals offenses throughout their history, 1981, 1988, 2005, 2006, and 2007, even I know those were more in playoff teams, but they were still, those were still really good offenses. And then most recently, 2013, 2021, 22, 24. Even last year, the Bengals offense was good with all the injuries. Gabby, you mentioned that they had. What really stood out to me was obviously they had a really,

had a great quarterback. Ken Anderson, Boomer, size, and Carson Palmer, and now Joe Burrow. But they also had the ability coach, you mentioned, to run the football, whether it be with now Chase Brown, before Joe Mixen and Rudy Johnson, and you can go to James Brooks, Pete Johnson, guys like that.

And then you have two really good receivers, but then you have other receivers that are just, they just get more than 10 yards per catch, 15 yards per reception, tight ends are involved. So you have all these pieces, and we talk about this lot on this show. It's not just your two wide receivers. It's can you have a wide receiver three? Can you have a tight end?

Jake, you mentioned Mike Kosciki potentially acting as a hybrid tight end slash wide receiver. So we've seen what has really led to the great Bengals offenses throughout their history. And I do believe that they have that now. But to your point, Gabby, and Joe Donovan, Fox 19 has mentioned this. It's all about Joe Borough playing 17 games. If he does, they should be explosive off or at least really good offense. We will get to explosiveness later on. in the show. But if they stay healthy, Burrow, Chase, Higgins, Chase Brown, who's stopping this

offense? Especially with the fact that this offensive line is the best that Joe Barrow has had. Oh, by the way, it's the same offensive line that they had last year when it got really good from week seven on. Yeah, I mean, I agree. I think it's all going to be health and can Joe Burrow play every game? Can he stay healthy? And like we saw so many of those great moments. moments last season when he was. And so, yeah, fingers crossed because I think that this Bengals team could be something really great if all the stars aligned there. I agree.

You know, I tell you what, say Joe does miss a game or two, I feel much more confident having Joe Flacko in the building than this year where he can come in and that machine can just continue with the same type of game plans with a couple of little tweaks in there because of Joe Flacco as opposed to Joe Burrow. But I think that they are, you know, the key is like Gabby talked about. It's about health. 17 games, three preseason games, getting into the playoffs healthy, nobody missing a significant amount of time.

And now you gain great chemistry. And I think that's key. Health is going to be a part of it. And I'm also just interested to see how the offense continues to evolve. One thing that we started to see last year in a Zach Taylor offense for probably the first time since 2019, maybe, or 2018, 2019, 19. Yeah. That was his first year.

Andy Dalton was still the quarterback. Maybe the first time for Zach Taylor in Cincinnati period was Joe Flacco, primarily. You saw Joe Burrow do a little bit of this, but Flacco taking straight dropbacks from under center. and how does the under center part of the offense continue to grow both in terms of the play action game and just playing a straight up part of your offense from under center. So you give defenses that extra little bit to think about in terms of, again, committing the resources to the box, to the run game, forcing the defense to have to think about

how that safety is going to fit the run game. And instead of just thinking about how the safety is going to stay on top of their deep threats, because I do think the explosive passing game is a big part of this and just having the down-to-down versatility to threaten different things at different times because sometimes one of the criticisms of the Bengals offense is that they can be a little bit static, right? They generally are consistent when Joe Burroughs on the field.

You go back to 2024. That's their highest success rate in this century as a team, and that ranks 49th this century since 2000 to 2025. that's their highest success rate in the last 25 years is 2024. But that's still not in the top, you know, 20 to 30 of the league. And their explosive play rate was way down that year. So they found a way to deal with all the two high shells that they were facing where all these teams are like, we're not going to get beat over the top.

We're not going to let you go deep bombs away like 2021 anymore because we know what Joe Burrow and these receivers can do in that role now. And so finding the answers to that, be it getting under center, be it, they're running. game, whatever the answers are, that's going to be fascinating to watch this year, too, with teams that are going to continue to try to play copycat to those Seattle defenses last year, the Houston defense last year, and try to keep a cap on this team because that's what this team has seen for the last five years. If Joe Burrow plays all 17 games, this offense is going to be really good.

If Jamar Chase and T. Higgins both play 17 games, they will be really good. If the offensive line is what we think it is, what we hope it is, what we believe it is from what we saw last year, this offense is going to be going to be. to be really good. Basically, if everything we hope for and believe about this offense falls into place, they're going to be really good. I think it's interesting when you look back at the great offenses throughout Angles history, obviously football was a much different game. Coach, I'm sure you agree with me on this. Football was a much different game back in the 80s. There was a lot more emphasis on condensed formations, not so much spreading to field.

And that's where you still, I can't understand it boomer size and post really prolific stats. And then football has evolved to where we're going to spread the field, have four wide receivers and the Bengals have been a embodiment of that because of how much they've run shotgun with Joe Baro. But maybe, Jake to what you alluded to, they may go under center more. They should because of what Joe Flackay was able to do for them this past season. Football has changed. It's evolved.

So maybe you really can't compare offenses now to the 80s. But coach, given the personnel that they have and given the scheme that the Bengals run offensively, it's got a chance to be as prolific and high flying offense as we've seen in 59 years of Bengals football. That's 59 years. That's a long time. I tell you what, the great thing about it is, you know, they have all the pieces to the puzzle. And I think the thing that people at this point kind of overlook about the offense is they are going to get, have great looks daily in terms of practice. They are going to be challenged in practice now where a year ago, they weren't.

And I think that that only, you know, iron sharpens iron. And both sides are going to be very, very good. I know that as a coach, you don't know coming out of camp how good you are. Are we good and the defense is that poor? Or are we just an average team and the defense is an average team? So you don't really know. But I think that it really sets the table for the entire. season that they're going to get to have a chance to work against each other.

anecdotally, Gabby, I know you've been at training camp the last couple of years. I've seen you there. I feel like the offense and the defense have always, at least for the last couple of years, had more competitive sessions than you might expect for the way the defense played the last couple of years. What do you think of that observation from the last couple years of training camp? Yeah, it's funny you bring that up, Jake, because I was just about to say, One of my favorite parts of training camp is every day we go, who won the day, right?

Did the defense win? Did the offense win? And like Coach Art said, it doesn't really matter at the end of the day because they're going against each other. But I do think, yeah, there has been a lot of competitiveness these last two years. I mean, I remember the last training camp, there were quite a few scupples and a lot of talking back and forth going at each other, which I think is good. I think that it shows how competitive these guys are. but I always look forward to that in training camp of the daily story of who won the day. And did defense win?

Did offense win? And Zach Taylor will never admit which one won. But it is always funny. And yeah, I think that there is an extra competitive edge at training camp, at least the last two years that I've been here. I just like upon reflection, thinking about how many times the defense actually did win the day and then reflecting on then what the defense did over the course of the seasons that followed. And this was even true in 2024 when the offense was really good. And it was the best Joe Burrow offense we've seen.

And the best EPA per play that Bengals have posted in the last 20, 25 years, too. And even then in training camp, man, the defense is sure getting this offense quite a bit. I don't know what's going on with that. I love overreacting after one day of training camp is the best thing ever. Absolutely. I tell you what, when you're going through, through, practice and you usually have an opportunity, or at least offensively, you play to the level of your competition.

So the more competition, the better the competition, I think that that's only going to elevate each of these guys, because now you get more smack being talked back and forth. The ones you visibly see in terms of the DBs, because they're always speaking, but you're going to hear it up front and that part of it's going to be really, really good. It's going to be really good up front, especially because you look at the Bengals' defensive line and how much better it's gotten this off season and the offensive line and how much better they got throughout last season, then especially on the outsides. We're talking about Jamar Chase going up against DJ Turner and T. Higgins potentially

going up against Takario Davis, who Mike Petralia on this show last week compared to Carrillo Davis to Sauce Gardner in terms of his physical stature. So it's definitely going to be an interesting training camp. I mean, we're probably going to, you know, Gabby, I know you and the crew of Fox 19, the flagship are going to just decide who won the day and, you know, how much that really means. And look, I'm interested in that stuff. I really have. And coach, you and I am sure are going to, Jake, we're going to talk about that on this show.

It's going to be very interesting to see what the battles look like in training camp. Is the defense ahead of the offense? Or maybe the offense is ahead of the defense, which that even could be a good thing. Absolutely. I mean, it's a scale. Right now, everybody's balanced. And let's see with each, who wins the drill, who won the day. You just move that piece of gold from one to the other and see at the end of camp who's on top and who's not. Look, we can talk about how good this Bengals offense is going to be in 2006, but it won't be unless they get one thing that they had in 2021 back into the fold of their offense this season. And I've got some shocking stats from a man who ran the full marathon at the flying pick this weekend.

We'll get into that conversation next right here on the Bengals Squad Show. Today's episode of the Bengals Squad Show is brought to you by Van Duel. The NBA playoffs are here and every possession matters. If you're looking to get even closer to the action, Van Duel has a great offer to get you started. Right now, new customers can bet $5 and get 150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. That's right. Turn five bucks into 150 in bonus bets. just for getting started.

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213.5. And I'm going to take the Lakers to cover the 15 and a half point spread. Head to Fanduil.com to get started, Fandual, play your game. Don't forget to check out the Everydayer Club on the Lockdown Podcast Network and for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with Jake Liskgo and James Rapine and other listeners of this show. Tap the link in the show notes or go to lockdown bangles.supercast.com. Before we get to these shocking stats, Gabby, I got to ask you this, because I haven't had really had a chance to talk with you since the Bengals made the seismic trade for Dexter Lawrence.

The NFL schedule is going to be released this month. We're not sure if it's going to be this week or the week after leading into Memorial Day. I actually think that might be kind of interesting. Gabby, does the trade for Dexter Lawrence for you make you think the Bengals may now be a more attractive draw for primetime games and National 424? games on CBS or the flagship box 19. 100%. I mean, I also think that having Joe Burrow helps with that too.

Obviously, you know, the last few seasons, they got flexed out a few times. So that wasn't great. But I think that, yeah, of course, Dexter Lawrence being a part of the Bengals now is going to be a more attractive prime time game. And I also think that the Bengals are hopefully headed international this season. Hopefully not against commanders because I want to be home for that game. But hopefully they do get that this year. I know that Joe Burroughs been really pushing for that.

So I think that would be really cool. But yeah, I know that players don't want another Thursday night primetime game in Baltimore. So we'll see if the NFL does that to them for a, I forget how many straight seasons it's been at least two. So, yeah, I think that it will lead to more primetime games. And I'm super excited to see the schedule that's coming out. We'll get to the NFL schedule more in second. segment four, but back to, and that's an interesting segue, actually, because they have Joe Barrow, they also have Jamar Chase.

But the one thing that's been absent from this Bengals offense, the last four seasons is explosive plays. They were so good at it in 2021. The Bengals were actually, this is according to Ben Baby of ESPN, congratulations to him. He ran the whole Flying Pig Marathon this weekend. Now is at a work conference this week. How about that? No rest for the weary. He was sixth in NFL. The Bengals were sixth in the NFL in percentage of offensive plays that gained 20 or more yards, according to ESPN research. That wasn't in 2021 when they went to the Super Bowl. They haven't ranked above 20th since the last four years, and that's with 2024. So my question for all of you is, how do the Bengals get back to explosive plays this season? Well, I think that, you know, the one thing that they have to do is, you know, they have to, they have to just continue to go about their business.

Explosive plays are great. They've got the tools, but they have to be set up. and then guys have to make plays after catch, you know, and gain yardage. And I think that that's where last year with Joe Flackow in and Joe Burrow out, you know, there were a lot of times that there wasn't a lot of yards after catch. And I think that that's where the explosiveness comes into play. I think they can gain a lot because of their ability to run the football. If they're able to run the football, then play action is huge.

And instead of pass, run, play action, be able to go run play action pass when you want to because you know they can do that at any time. Looking for the comfort level for Joe Burrow in play action is going to be another interesting factor that always bears watching. It's never been a split that has been particularly favorable for Joe. Not to say that you can't make plays out of play action. I think that he can excel in that space. And we've seen him make big plays in that space and big throws on those. plays, but when you look at the splits, the play action versus no play action splits for Burrow, they're generally not getting a whole lot more in terms of yards per play or success rate or

anything like that. When the Bengals do go to play action, and part of that is that all of their play action is happening from shotgun, and that's where the under center wrinkle this year will be interesting. Turning your back to the defense does make things harder. I don't think Joe necessarily wants to live that way. But again, we've seen what this offense can do with Joe Burrow, with Joe Flack. Blacko last year when you turn your back to the defense, when you're under center and giving that harder play action look. And so that'll be an interesting part of it as well. When you look

at the teams that were at the top of the explosive play rates in 2025, among them are teams like Green Bay, Los Angeles, Detroit, Baltimore, all these teams that have a running game, that have a play action game as a big part of their offense that run a different dominant set of route trees than the Bengals like to run that does have much more of an emphasis on yards after catch. And it's one of the reasons that for the last two years in the draft, when we have talked about potentially looking for wide receiver three, you're looking for guys that can create after the catch. Because while T. Higgins does some of that and Chase Brown can do some of that, and Andre Yosevash can do some of that. Really, the only yard after catch threat

is going to be Jamar Chase probably again this year. And so that's another area where as coach is talking about can they get better in the yard after catch part of the explosive plays can they get better in chunking off explosive runs which is something that seems like it's potentially moving at the right direction in the running game with chase round late last year in the second half of last season so those will all be factors i think for sure and part of it is going to be like i've said numerous times in this show is challenging defenses to make those safeties think more about the run game playing box responsibilities than staying over top of the receivers which when you have the receivers of Bengals do,

and the reputation that they have still from 2021 is a really big challenge to get defenses to make that adjustment. Yeah, I would say just echoing off of Jake and Coach Art, I think that the Bengals have the pieces to be so explosive. Like, we know this. This is something we know. I've been a big believer that I think that Chase Brown is just going to keep getting better and better.

I think his ceiling is up here. I think he's like right here. Like I think he still has a lot of opportunity to get better and better. saw that from last season towards the end, like Jake just said, where he's getting those explosive plays. I mean, I was at the game where he had, like, what, three touchdowns or four touchdowns in Miami that we were at Alex? I think that we were seeing that from Chase Brown. But I agree that. I think he's a big key to this offense. We saw with Seattle, Kenneth Walker, was so big in that offense. And I think that if the Bengals can get Chase Brown to be that guy,

it's going to be huge for them. They used him a lot more in the passing game last year. As we saw. I think they're going to continue to do that. But I do think that Chase Brown is a big key to this offense. And then, you know, everything else. I mean, we've got Jamar Chase and T. Higgins as wide receivers one and two. Like, you know what I mean? Like Bengals are in a really good spot. And I just think that this offense has the opportunity to be one of those really explosive teams. I remember that game in Miami vividly. I was also there. And Chase Brown scored in the end zone. I was sitting in near, I think twice in the third quarter, if I remember correctly. in that game. So I've been on the fence about him as far as should the Bengals give him a contract

extension this offseason coach. We've had that conversation with Mike Santagina and Jake. I think we've had it with you as well. But because the Bengals didn't really make any moves of running back this offseason in free agency or the draft with Jeremiah I love, I really think Chase Brown could be in line for a contract extension because what he can do as a runner, I mean, Gabby, he was the he was the Bengals second leading receiver in terms of receptions last year. And now keep in mind, the Bengals have Jamar Chasing T. Higgins. Chase Brown was second on the team with 69 receptions. Oh, by the way, he played with three different starting quarterbacks. So that tells you how good he is, how dependable he is.

If he can take that next step and beat that 1200 yard back like Joe Mixin was in 2021, what the Bengals really took off as a team that went to the Super Bowl behind Burrow Chase and Higgins. But I just go back to how this team becomes explosive two things. Number one, when they drafted Jamar Chase in 2021, they needed a ton of offensive line help. But I, for one, and I think a lot of people agree with me on this, I was like, if you have a wide receiver in Jamar Chase that you can get the ball out too quickly, even on deep routes, you're not stopping that offense. And sure enough, they nearly won them a Lombardi trophy.

So that's why I was always a proponent of Jamar Chase. And that first touchdown that he had against Minnesota, I was at that game. That felt different because we really hadn't seen that since we saw it with Dalton and Green, but it really hadn't been as explosive as. since probably Palmer and Chad Johnson. But also, and I want your guys, depending on this gap, I know you've got to run here in just a few minutes. I still think the Bengals missed Tyler Boyd,

because I think what he was able to do in the slide was he was able to free Jamar and T on the outside and give them more leverage to get down the field and make more plays. They really have not had that receiver since. Yosey Vash, we feel like every year coming out of training camp is going to be that guy. he just hasn't been.

Maybe Colby Young becomes that. Maybe Osie Vos still is. I don't know, but I still feel like they missed that Tyler Boyd in the middle that could free up Jamar and T on the outside. That's why those three receivers work so well together. I'm interested in seeing Kobe Young and what he does. It seems like the Bengals are really high on him.

And yeah, I agree. I think that they need that really strong wide receiver three. I mean, we did see great things from Andre at times last season. We saw some not great things. from him last season. I think that's going to be a competition that people are going to really be watching in training camp. There's always these things that we zero in on these competitions. And I think that wide receiver three in the middle is going to be a big thing. Colby Young's an interesting pick. He's an interesting guy. I think that, you know, when you kind

of take all the off the field stuff away, which obviously is going to be a topic of conversation, of course it has to be. But we get to see him at rookie mini camp soon here. It's going to be interesting to see him and where he kind of fits into this wide receiver puzzle that we have. You can't leave Mike Kaseki out of that conversation either, right? Because, I mean, that's one of Joe's guys. He was on the list, right? You've got to bring back Mike too. And despite being injured last year, missing some games, he played 13 games. And Andre obviously didn't miss a game last year. He had only 14 less targets in many less games. And that's with a lot of that being Joe Flacko or Jake Browning a quarterback instead of Burrow,

who I think is going to be a little bit more likely to throw the ball Mike Gaseki's way, given the esteem that Burrow holds Gosecchi in. So Gaseki is going to play a lot for this team in a receiving role. He very rarely lines up in line. So that's going to be part of the answer for the Bengals as well. And we'll see if Kobe Young cracks this thing and gets into that mix too. and we'll see how many more big plays we get out of Mitchell Tinsley because those are always fun when he does get those few looks that he gets

and gets to make his stamp. But you're looking for something more consistent. And it's something that I talked about on lockdown Bengals when talking about potentially thinking about Mackay Lemon as a draft target for the Bengals at 10 and discussing Mackay Lemon, who went a little bit later versus Jeremiah Love and the difference that those guys can make. And how much they did miss Tyler Boyd.

And not just in terms of freeing up Jamar and T on the outside, but in terms of being a reliable receiver himself. And I just keep going back to the 22 AFC championship game when it did not appear before Tyler Boyd got hurt, that the Chiefs had an answer for Tyler Boyd. And it looked like that was going to be a huge factor in keeping the Bengals offense on schedule and ahead in that game. And then they lost TB and they haven't had them since.

That's a great point. Jake, that's a very good point. Gabby, real quick, because we talk about Chase Brown. and we'll talk about this more, Jake, you and coach in segment three. But Joe Burrow, as a runner, if he's a threat to run on every single time he drops back to pass with this offensive line that's in front of him, good luck defending him and this offense this year. Yeah, I mean, I agree. I think that the offensive line, if they do what they did towards the end of last season,

I think it's huge that all of them are coming back. I don't want to see Joe Burrow running too much. I'm going to be honest here, Alan. Okay, I like that. Throw the ball away, bro, if that's what you got to do. We don't want to see you running around and making spin moves and get your toe stuck in turf, please. I think everybody in the stadium will make a big sigh of relief if Joe Bro just throws the ball away. I get it.

He's got the speed. He's a big dude. He can do it. But I think just because of the history of these injuries and wanting to keep him wrapped in bubble wrap, even if the offensive line is great and protecting him, let's just throw the ball away if it's not there. I think that, you know, we're going to see some run plays from Joe, but hopefully he stays healthy on those. I'll jump in there because in that game against Jacksonville,

when he got hurt, he was pressured the whole time. He was out there. And there was a play, I think it was like a fumble or something. And he was going after and chasing it. And someone like helicoptered him. Yeah. I'm like, I don't need to see that from my franchise, from our franchise quarterback.

here. Yeah. Like so yes, part, it's not all his fault, but at the same time, there is a little recklessness to Joe Burroughs game that I think maybe if he irons out, he's going to be able to be that much more effective. My biggest fear with him is if he does break the pocket and he's as dangerous on the run, not necessarily running with his feet, but on the run to throw the ball. And I think that he can create some of those big plays, some of those explosive plays, just by moving around and doing what he does best. I would, you never, I mean, I'm certain that they're not in the office right now

drawn up runs for Joe. I mean, that's, you can, you can take that on, and draft kings and bet that. But I tell you what, the one thing is, is, hey, sometimes those throw the ball away are the best plays, because they're the only place. You live to fight another day. Yeah, absolutely.

Gabby Sorrentino, our guest today from Fox 19, I know she's got to run, but we can't thank you enough for taking time on your day off to come on with us, talk some Bengals football, talk about your memorable weekend down at Church Hill Downs, and we will talk with you soon as we roll into the summer months OTAs mini camp,

and then eventually training camp where the flagship will be in full force. Oh, yeah. Thank you guys so much. Have a great rest of your Tuesday. I appreciate you having me on. Gabby Sorrentina, Fox 19. Thank you so much as always.

Jake, coach and myself will be back to talk more about Chase Brown and Joe Burrow, potentially running more, if that's what we want him to do. Next, right here on the Bengals Squad Show. Today's edition of the Bengals Squad Show is brought to you by Indeed. There's workplace chaos. There's deadlines that are stacking up and your inbox is overflowing in the one position you have to fill. It's still sitting open. Well, guess what, when the pressure's on, you need the right.

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The twice a week, long-form conversational supplement to the Daily Lockdown Bengals podcast hosted by Jake Liscoe and James Rapine. So I think with Chase Brown, what he was able to do last year, rushing for over $1,000, considering the slow start he got off to in the first, what, six weeks of the season. It wasn't so Joe Flacco took over as a full-time. starting quarterback when Joe Burrow was injured and the offensive line really settled in. But coach if Chase Brown is running the ball early the way he was late last year, boy, this cat is going to just really explode into the top 10, the upper echelon of the running back

hierarchy. And this bangles offense is just going to be that much better for because if you have to bring guys down to the box to stop the run, Jamar and T can beat you over the top as we know. Oh, without question. You know, and I think a lot of that, especially early in the season, And before we came on, was that their emphasis? Was that something that they wanted to do? Was it a commitment out of the offensive staff?

That they wanted to have a balanced offense? Well, anytime you have a Joe Borough back there, you're going to lean heavy to the throwing part of the game. And I think that once Joe Flackle came in, they were a little bit uncertain as to who they were, what they were. And they started to change the emphasis a little bit. And all of a sudden, then the O-line and Chase Brown started to come about their business because they took, you know, that's one thing about those guys, tight-ins, running backs, O-line. They take great pride in being

able to run the football. And not necessarily the yards, but the attempts. And I think that that's key. And I think that now knowing that they have a full stable of players and they've got a healthy Joe Burrow back, you know, I think that between Chase Brown and Tosh Brooks, I think that they're going to be pretty good. I think what's also interesting about Chase Brown. And Jake, you'll probably agree with me on this, is he was drafted in 23. The Bengals still had Joe Mix and he was the primary back. And I remember there were fans clamoring for Chase Brown to see more playing time. And when Jake, Brown he took over for Joe Borough when he got injured, we saw that. And then in 24, the Bengals, their plan was to have Zach Moss be their lead back. He ultimately got hurt. And then Chase Brown took

off in the second half of that season. So really last year was the first time Chase Brown became the full-time starter at running back. It took him a little bit to get going. It wasn't all on him. And so now he goes into his fourth season overall, but really the second as, you know, the featured back. So if he can put it, all together this season starting from training camp, knowing that he's had a full off season after the first where he was the full time back, like we've been talking about. He's just going to keep getting better and better and better. He's now the guy. And because of all the Jeremiah left talk that has dissipated because the Bengals didn't draft him or any running back, it's now Chase Brown's

long-term job to lose, essentially. Yeah, I wonder how they feel about the potential Chase Brown extension. I think that, and I've talked about this a lot this week on lockdown Bengals, I think that they're really sweating next year's salary cap situation right now and how that plays into extensions for Chase Brown, DJ Turner, Dax Hill, maybe even Jordan Battle, maybe Miles Murphy. I think that that will be a fascinating conversation over the next 12 months or so, maybe, I guess, slightly fewer than 12 months, I guess 10 months or so into next March. And certainly this training camp will be something that if we hear or catch wind

about any extensions in progress we'll be talking about. And Chase Brown is part of that conversation, not just because of the CEP situation, but because he's a running back. And this current iteration of Bengals leadership does not value running back as highly as the previous iterations of Bengals leadership that did choose to pay Joe Mixen that did choose to invest premium draft assets in the running back position. The approach has been very different from the Zach Taylor coaching tenure in Cincinnati. But to your point about Chase Brown, I think even a bigger difference. is going to be year two in Scott Peters system. And those guys seem to have really bought into what Scott Peters is teaching, how he's teaching it, how he's coaching it,

the different angles and different techniques that they're applying in the running game. And it's just a little bit different than it was at the beginning of the season. And we saw that play out when he went from Chase Brown goes from two yards per carry in week one, 2.9 yards per carry in week two, 0.3 yards per carry against Minnesota in that disastrous week three game. finishing the season with five and a half yards per carry against the Browns, four and a half yards per carry against the Cardinals, five and a half against Miami, four against Baltimore, a down week against Buffalo and week 14 with just 1.9,

but before that, 5.2, 5.6, 5.5.5 from week 11 to week 13, with Pittsburgh, New England, and Baltimore being the opponents there. So you saw a lot more consistency from Brown down the stretch, a lot more success from Brown down the stretch, and I think a lot of that is to do with the buy-in, and adapting to Scott Peter's system and credit James Casey as well, the tight ends coach who earned the Bengals run game coordinator title over this offseason as he obviously was instrumental in directing that run game into some of the things that started working for it as well for him to have earned that

title. Yeah, Coach, I think that's a great point Jake's bringing up there because the Bengals didn't make changes to their coaching staff this off season. So you have the same offensive line coach, you have the same running backs coach, you have the same tight ends coach. And now it's just like, okay, we can build on what we did. last year and be even better this year? Well, you know what?

Continuity is key. Just like it is up front. You know, you have to have continuity with the blockers, and you have that with the running backs. And now as they've seen what Chase Brown can do and what kind of back he truly is, I think you're going to see some subtle changes and some subtle scheme changes. not necessarily from a technique standpoint, but when you have all those three facets working, that allows the coordinator receiver coach and the head coach work on the passing game,

and those other three working on the run game to where they can be a very, very viable force. I mentioned the first game at 21 where Burrow threw that touchdown and chased at the end of halftime. My favorite stat from that game is the fact that Joe Mixon had two more carries than Joe Burrow had pass attempts in that game. And that showed you that the Bengals could beat you on the ground in addition to through the air. And Jake, you remember this. In their first two games out of the buy, Joe Mixen had back to back one hundred yard games, including 165 against the Steelers where the Bengals thrashed them 41 to 10. And that's where you're like, oh, if this team's able to run the football the way they are, they're going to be able to beat you down the field with their passing game. And that's exactly what

they ended up doing against even the Niners, although they lost that game, but against the Ravens and Chiefs when they closed out the AFC. north. If you can run the football to what coach is saying, we know this team is going to be just be able to beat you downfield in the passing game. Hopefully it's Joe Borough in all 17 games, but if it has to be Joe Blackow and one of them, gosh forbid, you're still happening in that. Yeah, I mean, if you get a game like week seven against the Pittsburgh Steelers where Chase Brown goes for 9.8 yards per carry in that game, the Unkable, right? Unkable part one where Joe Flacco, or was it later? No, it was the first one where Flacco keeps it on the redone?

option too and he runs for first down. I mean, that's a good stuff right there. I mean, giving more Joe Flacco, talk about Joe Burrow, Ryan. I feel okay when Flacco's doing it, but that's a fun one to think back on. But when you do get that kind of performance from your running back in this offense, and, you know, if you get that kind of thing when Joe Burroughs playing quarterback, it has such a significant effect on the way defenses have to play. For the most part, though you're not really designing your game plans that way, even still with Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase D. Higgins, the investments that you have, the overall strength of your offensive line is still in pass protection.

And I know they took strides and run blocking down the stretch, but they drafted most of these guys or acquired most of these guys via other means, free agency, for their past protection ability. And so that's still going to be the first avenue for this offense. It's still going to flow through Joe Burrow. If you get games like that for Chase Brown, you're right. Good luck to the opponents trying to stop an offense when Chase Brown's going for 10 to carry and you still have Joe Burrow back there. But for the most part, you're thinking about keeping offense, keeping defense is honest

by presenting that threat in the run game and something that I think about a lot in the run game for this team and referencing Joe Mixin that comes to mind is their ability to close games with the run game. When they were winning. consistently in 21 and 22, they found ways to close games with Joe Mixing. And it takes me back to honestly, the nightmare that it was when the Bengals were down, say, three to six points, three to seven points against the Jerome Bettis Steelers when I was a kid growing up watching them. And they just couldn't. They couldn't stop it. Jerome Bettis was getting them first

downs. They were chewing up clock. When the Bengals could do that to finish games, that makes them even more dangerous when you consider how much issue they've had in close. closing out games in the last two years. I love that point. That was like Joe Mixing against the Raiders in 21, as you mentioned. Coach, if you have that running back that can just chew up clock and salt the game away, that is demoralizing for an opposing defense. It's slow death for the defensive side of the ball. And if you have, the great thing about you've got a quality running game.

If I was a defensive coordinator going into the game, And I know I've got T. Higgins on one side, and I got Jamar Chase on the other side. And, you know, I would play middle of field open, split safeties, again, help over the top, roll up, or play the corners off and have run fitters from the safeties. And what I think the Bengals have to do is they have to force them out of it and force that extra defender down on. in the box to stop the runs on first and 10, second or six or less, and now you create those one-on-one matchups with T and Jammar and the tight ends going down the hole. I mean, that's an entire different chess game that you're trying to accomplish. And I think that's when big plays start to happen. I also remember, speaking of tight ends, the game in Tampa Bay in 2022.

where the Bengals were running the football to salt the game away, and then Burrow hits Mitchell Wilcox for the game ceiling touchdown on a rollout to the right, and you just leak your tight end out because the defense, Tampa Bay, was expecting to run. Well, the Bengals, you know, came at them with the pass to close out the game. If we had done it, if we had that the Bengals squad had started after the Steelers game at week seven, I guarantee you one of the first things we would have talked about was Chase Brown's performance in that game.

He broke off a run when the Bengals were. down 10-0 and really just kind of trying to get something going offensively. And I remember just that run. There were two runs in the first half that just got the crowd so into the game. And I'm saying to myself, that's what we've been looking for all season. And we got it from that point on. Really from week six on, I was just looking at the sports here. From week seven until the end of the season, for running backs that had at least 120 carries,

which is just the cutoff that I'm arbitrarily going. with here. That's Blake Corm at 120, Aaron Jones at 122. Chase Brown had the six highest yards per attempt in the NFL from week seven until the end of the season. Devin H.on was first at 5.9 yards per attempt. Travion Henderson, 5.5 yards per attempt. James Cook, 4.4 yards per attempt, Jamir Gibbs, and Derek Henry at 5.3 and D'Andre Swift and Chase Brown at 5.2 yards for attempt from 7 to 18. 5.2 yards per attempt is a pretty dang good clip. You take over five yards per carry in an offense as headline by Joe Burrow any day of the week. Absolutely.

Take that one and run with it because I tell you that that's not only chewing time out the clock, less time your defense has got to be out there. But when you can add just what Jake was talking about right now and you're in that conversation, I mean, those are some of the greatest ground control football teams that are in the, in the National Football League at this point. And I think it opens up so much, but it has to be committed. You have to make that commitment to do that. And I think that I think the powers that be in the Bengals office are seeing that.

I'm sure they've gone through all the film and what they can do. And I think that they're going to put together a pretty good office with a lot of quick strike ability. Art, I want you to put yourself in the shoes of a defensive coordinator. If you're calling plays, you're just talking about it. If you're calling plays against a Bengals offense, at what point do you decide I need to really respect this run game? I need to take the risk and need to stop the run game and then take away the resources from the back end. What's the threshold for you if you're coaching on that side of the ball that says, we're going to take one of these safeties away from the deep half or deep quarter and make them play in the

Fox a little bit more. I think as going in, my first goal would be that I've got to stop those wide receivers. And that those guys are the key because you know Joe Burroughs going to get his yardage and he's going to see it because he's got great vision of the field. If you have a running game on first and first down, first and 10, second or six or less, and they're running at a four-yard clip where now of a sudden we're in second and medium. And, I've got to say, you know what, I've got to stop the run. So whether that's bringing a safety down and putting him in the box and now you're playing either man or three deep, or I've got to start bringing guys, if they're hurting me

on the edges, I've got to start bringing guys off the slot so where they can't cut it back. And now my game plan is kind of skewed because it's not the original game plan. I'm now adjusting to it. I think once you get to an efficient run, which is four or more, I think that's when they have to start saying, hey, we can't allow them to have this. We can't allow them to get in second and five, second and six situations to where they, now they got, they have play action they can burn us on. They can have just straight drawback where they can burn us on.

And I think that's, that was very difficult for a defensive coordinator. to have to make those adjustments during the game. How many drives would you have to see that? How many first downs would you have to see that before you made that adjustment? If it's you, just like thinking about the Bengals and what Joe Burrough, Jamar Chase, and T. Higgins can do to you. Because you only get a certain number of plays, I'd say three series of downs. Three series of downs and I've got to make an adjustment. That's pretty quick.

Based on down and distance is when I would. Yeah. I'm not going to let them slow death is so bad. You know, it's like, okay, they just chew off all that clock. They're getting four yards of whack. That means if they did it on first and second down, third and twos are awesome. And as an offensive coach, you don't have to go for it all. You don't have to throw those deep throws where you can throw those intermediate passes

and still get the first down. And you keep the chains rolling. And you also, you've got possibility for big plays, especially when you have those two wide outs outside. You know what I'm gathering from what all you're saying, coach, is football is a complimentary game, offense, and defense. But within the offense in particular, it's complimentary with running and the passing games.

Look at your Seahawks last year. playoffs. In their first playoff game against San Francisco, they had 175 yards rushing 106 passing. Against the Rams, it was different. Just 75 on the ground, but 321 through the air. And that obviously is not Sam Donald's passing yards because I think he was sacked in that game at least once. And then in Super Bowl 60, it was 141 on the ground, 194 through the air. So they could beat you multiple ways. If the run game was working, they were going to use it. But if it wasn't, they still had a quarterback and Sam Donald that could pick apart the Rams deep. in the NFC championship game with Smith and Jigpa Cooper Cup, excuse me, and the receivers that the Seahawks have.

And I think that's it's why Chase Brown arguably, and I think more than that, is the most important player for the Cincinnati Bengals going into, I should say the most important player not named Joe Burrow, Jamar, Chaser T. Higgins going into 2000, going into 2006. Coming up next to round out the show today in NFL scheduled topic as it relates to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bengals. We get into that conversation next on the Bangles Squad Show. Before we get to our final topic for the day, Coach, I know you being a baseball fan. I, for one, was devastated by the passing of John Sterling yesterday, the longtime voice in the New York Yankees. And I think what was really cool yesterday and was really uplifting was how many people on social media pay tribute to him. And that tells you how universally respected he was and the passion he brought to his job and his craft every day.

Just a tremendous one-of-one broadcaster, in my opinion. I just had to mention that. I know you're a big baseball fan. I'm telling you what, those guys, they are the voice of the team. And I grew up listening to Vince Scully. And he painted a picture as if I was there. And when you have those kinds of broadcasters, they are sorely missed. And they are with these sorely missed.

They become your friends. They do, local announcers. With the Bengals schedule in 2012, I asked Gabby this in segment two. I'm going to ask both of you now. Do you think that Bengals are going to be an attractive candidate for a lot of primetime games, 425 games, holiday games, games like that?

They have been for the last couple of years, right? So we've seen since the AFC championship game in Super Bowl of back-to-back years. The Bengals have been, I think, every year since then, they've been a pretty attractive team for prime time in those late afternoon windows. And I don't think that there's any reason that would have changed. I think that if maybe the offseason had been less aggressive, then maybe you would see it start to go in the other direction just because it has been a couple of years of futility. But I do think that in general, they're, and I don't know, maybe the schedule was already made by the time they traded for Dexter Lawrence.

I don't know when exactly things are finalized in that process between the time it's finalized and out. So I'm sure a lot of work was already done. But I do think that if you're judging it from a how exciting is this team to put them in prime time, how attractive do we think this team is to TV viewers? There is quite a bit of renewed interest and optimism. and intrigue around the Cincinnati Bengals after the Dexter Lawrence trade because of the signal that that sends of putting a few more chips into the middle of the table, or all the chips, perhaps, depending on who you ask, into the middle of the table and trying to be a competitive football team that's going for it this year around Joe Burrow. Yeah, Coach, was you guys, like, how much stock would you put into the lead-up to the schedule release and that when it came out, like, was it, you know, exciting to see who you were playing when you were playing them, you know, what networks you were playing on?

Like, how much stock would you put into all the nuances of the NFL schedule release? Not very much. Only because you already know who you're going to play. Now it's a matter when you're going to play up. And I think a lot of players and a lot of coaches look at, okay, and, and, you know, where is our buy? If it's early, then you're saying, hey, we got a heck of a run down the stretch. If it's in the middle, you're saying, okay, we have a chance to regroup and keep going. And then when they come up and they say, okay, hey, you have a Monday night game. You have a primetime Saturday or, excuse me, Sunday game. And then once the college season is over and you're saying, oh, now they're going to flex us and they're going to move us somewhere else.

but if they do move us in a positive manner, they want you on television, you know you're doing something right, and you're in the hunt, and you're down the stretch. You know, one of the greatest things last year was having the Bengals and Joe Burrell coming back for that Thanksgiving game. Yes.

Those were awesome. It showed everybody, you know what? With Joe Burrell back, this team is legit. And I think now you add, extra orange, you add those defensive pieces, that really makes it very, very inviting for a national audience to want to say, hey, let's see what they've done. Yeah. So even in Seattle, like, because you guys, you know, as you told, as you told me, you're kind of on an island in Seattle. So when a schedule came out, like I'm sure the people that were really invested in it were those

in the organization that handled your travel, hotel, stuff like that. Because if you got to make a lot of, you know, multi-time zone road. trips. Those are the people that really got to get working when the schedule gets released. Oh, without without doubt. They, they are the ones that are humping it very, very hard to try to figure out, okay, let's get all this done. Let's get the planes lined up. Let's get the practice facilities lined up. Hey, we've got an early game on the East Coast. We're out there for two weeks in a row. What do we want to do? Do we want to fly all the way back across the country? and then go back, or do we want to find someplace relatively local to where we can move all of our

equipment there and hold for it for two weeks before we come home? Those are the guys that are really on Pennsylvania right now. You know, Jake brought up an interesting point. You brought up an interesting point when you talk about how much of the schedules actually made, how much was it made before the Dexter Lawrence Strait. I remember three years ago, Aaron Rogers goes to the Jets, and this was like late April. And I didn't know how much the schedule was released then. Clearly, well, I shouldn't say either way. But the Jets still got five prime time games.

They got multiple other 425 games. I'm not sure if that's how it was going to be before because they had an okay season the year prior. Or if Aaron Rogers, that when he went to the Jets, that altered the plans of Mike North and Hans Schroeder and all the people at 3, 4, 5 Park Avenue with the NFL schedule. So it's definitely an interesting topic. I do think the Bengals are going to be an attractive candidate for primetime games, 425 games, maybe a holiday game because as coach you mentioned, they won on Thanksgiving last year and they've looked very good in doing so.

It definitely is going to be interesting to see if they play a lot of prime time games early, if it's front-loaded, just in case something happens, gosh, I forbid again, or if they put some games later in saying, if we think the Bengals are going to be really good and then playoff contention, let's put some high profile games later in the season like they did in 22, Jake, as you mentioned, when they put Kansas City in week 13, Tampa Bay, Week 15, Buffalo, Week 17. Are they going to do that?

There's a lot of different scenarios that one of those end up shaking out. It's going to be very interesting to see what happens in these next two weeks when the schedule does ultimately get released. I think one part of the equation that we're, avoiding right at this point is how much to the advertisers want to see that particular team. You know, somebody, I mean, you're now loaded. Where do they want to put their money? Hey, you know, what, I'm sure somebody, whether, regardless of who it is, maybe saying, you know what, we'd like to see Cincinnati on television nationally, not just locally, so we can spread the whole thing

because there is that interest in Joe Burrell and Dexter Lawrence and Jamar Chase, and you can just go down the list. And I think that those are the guys that are going to make the final decision. Honestly, the one thing that, well, the most interesting thing to me about the schedule release is only a short rest and rest disparities that can come up with it. The Bengals don't travel much this year. They don't really have any, I would guess, without. looking that they're one of the fewest miles flown teams this year based on their road

games. And we'll see about the international impact that could potentially land there. But I'm always interested in the short rest aspect of things and the rest disparities that emerged from the schedule. I think that's something that the NFL does a really poor job of because you end up with giant rest disparities from team to team. And I do think that there are impacts there. The biggest example of the NFL not really paying attention.

And I think something that you can probably project for the Bengals this year is the Thursday night game at home against Baltimore because it's been Thursday on the road for so long that it's drawn enough attention that it's made its way to the schedule maker's ears at this point. But things like that where there are streaks of inequity between two teams directly. And we know the home field advantage of playing at home in the AFC North on Thursday. night and just rest disparities that I think end up denigrating the competitive equity and competitive fairness of the product in the NFL that I would like to see the schedule. The schedulers do a better job of handling and equalizing for teams now that there are games on Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday and every day of the week there are all these games happening.

Let's try to make sure that we're doing a little bit more for these athletes and keeping them well rested and giving them time to recover between games. Amen. Yeah. I mean, you look at who should be good, right, but aren't because their schedule is everywhere is Dallas. You know, they're playing late Sunday night games, having to fly back going. They're all over the place. Well, Jerry wants them on TV, but he doesn't take that rest into the equation.

And that's big. Well, the Dallas Cowboys, the Dallas Cowboys. And to Jake's point, coach, you just echoed it. The NFL's, I mean, look, it's an entertainment product. And, you know, the more what if they want something, if Rodgerald won something, he's going to get it. I mean, I've been on the record saying the sports broadcasting act of 1961 is going to be ripped up because of how powerful the NFL is becoming as an entertainment product.

The short rest, Jake, is interesting for me because I remember three years, ago, the Giants, they played a week two game at Arizona and then a week three game at San Francisco on a Thursday night. So they stayed out obviously on the West Coast, but that's back-to-back road games, including a Thursday night game on a short week. And then, Coach, I remember you talk about sitting on the East Coast for two weeks. Denver last or two years ago played Tampa Bay on the road and then flew up to New York to weigh the Jets. And I think at one point that week, they were practicing walkthroughs on a tennis court somewhere. Now, that was obviously due to a hurricane. I forget if it was Milton or Helene, one of the hurricanes that rolled in, sadly, on the East Coast in 2024. I mean, look, the logistics that go into taking an NFL team on the road, as you know, Coach, it is a lot of details, to say the least. Absolutely. I know that when we flew either east to west or west to east,

we would always leave a day early just to make sure that we were acclimated just like you would go into Denver. You know, you're going to try to get there a little bit early so you can get acclimated to the altitude. So, yeah, it takes an awful lot. By the way, the Bengals' longest road trip in the continental United States this year is to Houston, and that's not even that long for road trip. And, of course, it remains to be seen if the Bengals play internationally this season.

Thank you again for everybody who has tuned in today to today's episode. at the Bengals Squas show. Thank you to Gabby Sorrentino and Fox 19 our guest today. Jake, thank you as always. We'll talk with you next Tuesday coach. You and I are back on Friday with Joe Danaman, Fox 19 sports director talking all things draft, talking all things to extra Lawrence. Bengals schedule. Maybe he has some nuggets of information, perhaps from insiders. We'll get to all of that coming up on Friday. Jake, you and James are back at it this week throughout the remainder of the week on lockdown Bengals, the daily podcast on the Cincinnati Bengals. That is a part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in America and the world,

your team every day for more on the Everydayer Club and how you can be a member. Visit Lockdown Podcast.com slash everydayer. For Jake Lisco with Jake Lisco for coach, Arfallero, long time coach, 45 years, current running backs coach of the UFL's Orlando Storm and Super Bowl 37 champion with the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm Alex Franca Franki and Escornetti. This has been the Bengals Squad show the twice a week, law and form conversational supplement to lockdown magnanimous posted by Jake Lusco and James Rupine, part of the lockdown podcast network,

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